Chromosomal phylogeny of four Meriones (Rodentia, Gerbillidae) species (author's transl)

The karyotypes of four species of the genus Meriones (Rodentia, Gerbillidae) : M. tristrami, M. crassus, M. libycus and M. persicus are compared. About 20 chromosomal rearrangements separate these species into two groups. Robertsonian evolution, associated with inversions and fissions, appears to have occurred.     

Cranial variation in Meriones tristrami (Rodentia: Muridae: Gerbillinae) and its morphological comparison with Meriones persicus,Meriones vinogradovi and Meriones libycus: a geometric morphometric study

Jirds (genus Meriones) comprise a group of rodents, of which the biodiversity is still poorly known. Reason for this is that several species of similar morphologies are known to occur sympatrically. In the north‐west of Iran, four such species occur: Meriones tristrami, Meriones persicus, Meriones vinogradovi and Meriones libycus, prone to several issues of taxonomical ambiguity. A proper characterization of morphological distinctiveness between these species, in relation to the variation within species, could provide the required information for species diagnosis and identification. As some cranial characters of M. tristrami, M. persicus and M. vinogradovi are quite similar, demarcations of species‐specific phenotypic variation have proven to be difficult. To tackle this problem, this study involves a geometric morphometric analysis of skull shape and size, incorporating a large representative sample of these four species, originating from most parts of their natural distribution range (especially for M. tristrami). It is first tested whether M. tristrami can be distinguished from the other sympatric species, and if so, to what degree the species shows a geoclimatic pattern in its skull shape and size when comparing different populations. The shape and size analyses show that M. libycus can be distinguished because of its largest skull and the relatively largest tympanic bulla, and that M. tristrami can be distinguished from the other species. At an intraspecific level in M. tristrami, the Iranian groups (Qazvin and west Iran) do not differ in shape among them, but do so in skull size. They could, however, be distinguished in skull shape from the non‐Iranian populations included (Turkey and Jordan). To what degree this continuous data can now be translated into discrete and diagnostic features, useful for taxonomic purposes, remains to be studied.     

Heterochromatin (C-bands) in somatic and male germ cells in three species ofMicrotinae

The C-banding patterns in the chromosomes ofMicrotus oeconomus, M. arvalis andM. ochrogaster demonstrate differences in the amount and distribution of heterochromatin. Autosomal centromeric heterochromatin appears as conspicuous blocks or as small dots, and in several chromosomes no heterochromatin was detected; interstitial heterochromatin was observed in one autosome pair ofM. ochrogaster. The sex chromosomes also demonstrate differences in the C-banding pattern. InM. oeconomus, the X chromosome exhibits a block of centromeric heterochromatin which is larger than that of the autosomes; this characteristic helps to recognize the X chromosomes in the karyotype. InM. arvalis no heterochromatin was appreciated in the sex chromosomes. The Y chromosomes ofM. ochrogaster andM. oeconomus are entirely heterochromatic. During male meiosis heterochromatin shows condensation, association and chiasma prevention; the sex chromosomes pair end to end in the three species. At pairing, the Y chromosome ofM. arvalis is despiralized, but it appears condensed again shortly before separation of the bivalent.     

Visible and "cryptic" segregation of parental chromosomes in embryonic stem hybrid cells

Chromosome segregation of the parental chromosomes was studied in 20 interspecific hybrid clones obtained by fusion of Mus musculus embryonic stem cells with Mus caroli splenocytes. FISH analysis with labeled species specific probes and microsatellite markers was used for identification of the parental chromosomes. Cytogenetic analysis has shown significant intra- and interclonal variability in chromosome numbers and ratios of the parental chromosomes in the hybrid cells: six clones contained all M. caroli chromosomes, nine clones showed moderate segregation of M. caroli chromosomes (from 1 to 7), and five clones showed extensive loss of M. caroli chromosomes (from 12 to complete loss of all M. caroli autosomes). Both methods demonstrated "cryptic" segregation of the somatic partner chromosomes. For instance, five clones with near-tetraploid chromosome sets contained only few M. caroli chromosomes (from 1 to 8). The data obtained suggest that the tetraploid chromosome set per se is not a sufficient criterion for conclusion on the absence of chromosome loss in the hybrid cells. Note that "cryptic" chromosome segregation occurred at a high frequency in the examined hybrid clones. Thus, "cryptic" segregation should be borne in mind for assessing pluripotency and genome reprogramming of embryonic stem hybrid cells.     

濒危植物巴东木莲花粉母细胞减数分裂观察

对巴东木莲Manglietia patungensis及其近缘种乳源木莲M. yuyuanensis的花粉母细胞减数分裂过程的基本特征进行了比较研究。乳源木莲与巴东木莲的染色体数目和核型相同,但不经任何人为因素诱导,它们之间在减数分裂过程中的染色体行为上有明显差异。(1)巴东木莲减数分裂中期I构型为0.30IV+18.33II+0.15I,与乳源木莲构型19II不同,巴东木莲可能存在同臂内倒位杂合子,染色体结构存在一定的杂合性。(2)后期I和后期II染色体行为异常现象发生频率明显不同。以后期II为例,乳源木莲减数分裂相中有迟滞染色体的细胞占8.8%,迟滞染色体不超过2个;巴东木莲有迟滞染色体等异常现象的细胞占29.2%,迟滞染色体最高达11个,还出现染色体碎裂成断片现象。巴东木莲减数分裂过程中染色体组表现出染色体结构杂合变异和迟滞染色体与染色体的断裂频率很高的异常现象在一定程度上可能影响了雄配子体的发育。     

Genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) reveals high chromosome pairing affinity between Lolium perenne and Festuca mairei.

Intergeneric hybridizations have been made between species of Lolium and Festuca. It has been demonstrated, largely through conventional cytogenetic analysis, that the genomes of the two genera are related, however, much information is lacking on exactly how closely related the genomes are between the two species. We applied genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) techniques to the F1 hybrids of tetraploid Festuca mairei with a genomic constitution of M1M1M2M2 and diploid Lolium perenne with a genomic constitution of LL. It was shown in the triploid hybrids (LM1M2) that the chromosomes of M1 and M2 from F. mairei could pair with each other, and it was further discovered that L chromosomes of L. perenne paired with M1 and M2 chromosomes. Our results showed that meiocytes of Lolium-Festuca are amenable to GISH analysis, and provided direct evidence for the hypothesis that the chromosomes of Lolium and Festuca may be genetically equivalent and that reciprocal mixing of the genomes may be possible.     

Chromosomal heterogeneity of various Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae field strains.

Restriction enzyme digestion and field inversion gel electrophoresis were used to analyze the chromosomes of strains of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and the related organism Mycoplasma flocculare. The chromosome size for the M. hyopneumoniae type strain was calculated from individual fragments to be 1,011.3 +/- 32.9 kbp. The chromosomes of M. hyopneumoniae field strains were approximately the same size. The restriction patterns obtained for the chromosomes of phenotypically similar M. hyopneumoniae strains were quite different. Therefore, the species M. hyopneumoniae seems to be very heterogeneous. A field inversion gel electrophoresis analysis of the entire chromosomes allowed us to distinguish M. hyopneumoniae strains easily and hence to characterize further the species M. hyopneumoniae. The chromosome size for M. flocculare was calculated to be 988.3 +/- 39.5 kbp. Restriction enzyme XhoI, which statistically should cut the M. hyopneumoniae chromosome frequently, did not cut the DNA of any of the M. hyopneumoniae strains but did digest M. flocculare DNA, indicating that there is a site-specific modification at CTCGAG which probably belongs to a restriction modification system in M. hyopneumoniae and is absent in M. flocculare.     

Analysis of replication patterns in chromosomes of normal Chinese hamster and its cell lines

Replication patterns of the normal male Chinese hamster chromosomes and the three cell lines CHW, 1102 and 1103, were determined using fluorescent, plus Giemsa or acridine orange, techniques. The individual chromosomes or chromosomal segments were consistent in the replication patterns of normal Chinese hamster chromosomes and all the transformed cell lines. Late DNA replication was regularly identified in the long arm of the X chromosome, the entire Y chromosome, the short arms of chromosomes 6 and 7, and the paracentromeric regions of chromosomes 8, 9 and 10. A similar consistency was demonstrated in the large late replicating areas of chromosomes X and Y. Each cell line had specific marker chromosomes by which the cell line was identified and their replication patterns have been described. The chromosome analysis in cell line 1103 indicated that chromosomes 2, 3, 8 and 9 were more stable than others, of which chromosome 2 was extremely stable. The markers M4 and M5 in cell line 1103 are very interesting. The cytogenetic behaviour of marker M4 indicated a new phenomenon of translocation by simple association. The marker chromosome M5 indicated that inactivation spread to the early replicating distal region. These cell lines are very useful tools for studying replication patterns and providing a basic understanding of mammalian cytogenetics.     

A cytogenetic study on human intestinal trematodes of the genus Metagonimus (Digenea: Heterophyidae) in Korea

In order to analyze chromosome numbers and karyotypes of intestinal trematodes belonging to the genus, Metagonimus, the gonad tissues of M. takahashii, M. miyatai, and M. yokogawai were prepared and examined. The number of bivalents in the first meiotic division of M. takahashii was nine (n = 9). The diploid number of M. miyatai was observed to be eighteen (2n = 18) and their chromosomes consisted of one pair of metacentric, 7 pairs of submetacentric, and one pair of telocentric chromosomes. The diploid number of M. yokogawai was thirty-two (2n = 32) and the chromosome complements were composed of two pairs of metacentric, 11 pairs of submetacentric, and three pairs of subtelocentric chromosomes. These results could be a supporting evidence for the validity of the new species, M. miyatai, distinct from M. yokogawai.     

Synaptonemal complex study in some species of Gerbillidae without heterochromatin interposition

Synaptonemal complexes were studied in Gerbillus campestris, Meriones libycus, M. shawi, M. crassus, and in two hybrids M. shawi x M. libycus (Gerbillidae, Rodentia). In both the pure species and hybrids, there was no pairing of X and Y chromosomes, as was previously observed in Psammomys obesus and other Gerbillidae species with gonosome-autosome translocations. A pair of autosomes was also located in proximity to the sex chromosomes in pachytene and showed unusual meiotic behavior with no, incomplete, or much delayed pairing. This chromosome pair, composed of late replicating heterochromatin, exists in most Gerbillidae species and is constant in number, but variable in size across the species. Both meiotic and mitotic characteristics indicate that this pair may correspond to a new type of chromosome which is different from B chromosomes. We do not know if there is a relationship between the presence of this chromosome and the unusual behavior of the sex chromosomes. In Gerbillidae species, the lack of pairing of both sex and heterochromatic chromosomes obviously does not prevent their correct meiotic segregation.     

Localization of the repetitive telomeric sequence (TTAGGG)n in two muntjac species and implications for their karyotypic evolution

It has been suggested that the chromosome set of the Indian muntjac, Muntiacus muntjak vaginalis (female, 2n = 6; male, 2n = 7), evolved from small acrocentric chromosomes, such as those found in the complement of the Chinese muntjac, M. reevesi (2n = 46), by a series of tandem fusions and other rearrangements. The location of the highly conserved human telomeric sequence (TTAGGG)n in the metaphase chromosomes of M.m. vaginalis and its close relative, M. reevesi, was investigated by non-radioactive in situ hybridization. The (TTAGGG)n repeat was found adjacent to the centromeres in the short arm and at the telomeres in the long arm of M. reevesi acrocentric metaphase chromosomes. Tandem fusions present in the karyotype of M.m. vaginalis chromosomes were not reflected by interstitial signals of the telomere repeat, as these chromosomes displayed hybridization signals only at the ends of the chromatids. Mechanisms that might have played a role in the evolution of the reduced karyotype of the Indian muntjac are discussed.     

Synapsis in grasshopper bivalents heterozygous for centric shifts.

Analysis of surface-spread synaptonemal complexes of zygotene and pachytene spermatocytes was carried out on centric-shift heterozygotes of grasshoppers. These rearrangements affected the M7 chromosome in Chorthippus vagans and the M6 and S8 chromosomes in Chorthippus apricarius. The shifts in the latter two chromosomes were also associated with C-heterochromatin variations between homologous chromosomes. Rearranged chromosomes proceeded directly to heterosynapsis without an apparent intervening homosynaptic phase in M7 bivalents of Ch. vagans and M6 bivalents of Ch. apricarius. In the latter case, axial equalization of the heterochromatin polymorphism was also achieved. On the other hand, asynapsis of the intercentromeric regions throughout pachytene was the rule in the centric shift involving the S8 chromosome of Ch. apricarius. In the three cases analysed, the production of unbalanced gametes in the heterozygotes is precluded either by the lack of chiasma formation in heterosynapsed rearranged segments or by the lack of pairing between such segments. Chiasmata were limited to the homologous regions of the heteromorphic bivalents.     

Polymorphisms distinguishing different mouse species and t haplotypes.

Three anonymous chromosome 17 DNA markers, D17Tu36, D17Tu43, and D17Le66B, differentiate between house mouse species and/or between t chromosomes. The D17Tu36 probe, which maps near the Fu locus and to the In(17)4 on t chromosomes, identifies at least 15 haplotypes, each haplotype characterized by a particular combination of DNA fragments obtained after digestion with the Taq I restriction endonuclease. Ten of these haplotypes occur in Mus domesticus, while the remaining five occur in M. musculus. In each of these two species, one haplotype is borne by t chromosomes while the other haplotypes are present on non-t chromosomes. The D17Tu43 probe, which maps near the D17Leh122 locus and to the In(17)3 on t chromosomes, also identifies at least 15 haplotypes in Taq I DNA digests, of which nine occur in M. domesticus and six in M. musculus. One of the nine M. domesticus haplotypes is borne by t chromosomes, the other haplotypes are borne by non-t chromosomes; two of the six M. musculus haplotypes are borne by t chromosomes and the remaining four by non-t chromosomes. Some of the D17Tu43 haplotypes are widely distributed in a given species, while others appear to be population-specific. Exceptions to species-specificity are found only in a few mice captured near the M. domesticus-M. musculus hybrid zone or in t chromosomes that appear to be of hybrid origin. The D17Leh66B probe, which maps to the In(17)2, distinguishes three haplotypes of M. domesticus-derived t chromosomes and one haplotype of M. musculus-derived t chromosomes. Because of these characteristics, the three markers are well suited for the study of mouse population genetics in general and of t chromosome population genetics in particular. A preliminary survey of wild M. domesticus and M. musculus populations has not uncovered any evidence of widespread introgression of genes from one species to the other; possible minor introgressions were found only in the vicinity of the hybrid zone. Typing of inbred strains has revealed the contribution of only M. domesticus DNA to the chromosome 17 of the laboratory mouse.     

Whole-genome and chromosome evolution associated with host adaptation and speciation of the wheat pathogen Mycosphaerella graminicola

The fungus Mycosphaerella graminicola has been a pathogen of wheat since host domestication 10,000-12,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent. The wheat-infecting lineage emerged from closely related Mycosphaerella pathogens infecting wild grasses. We use a comparative genomics approach to assess how the process of host specialization affected the genome structure of M. graminicola since divergence from the closest known progenitor species named M. graminicola S1. The genome of S1 was obtained by Illumina sequencing resulting in a 35 Mb draft genome sequence of 32X. Assembled contigs were aligned to the previously sequenced M. graminicola genome. The alignment covered >90% of the non-repetitive portion of the M. graminicola genome with an average divergence of 7%. The sequenced M. graminicola strain is known to harbor thirteen essential chromosomes plus eight dispensable chromosomes. We found evidence that structural rearrangements significantly affected the dispensable chromosomes while the essential chromosomes were syntenic. At the nucleotide level, the essential and dispensable chromosomes have evolved differently. The average synonymous substitution rate in dispensable chromosomes is considerably lower than in essential chromosomes, whereas the average non-synonymous substitution rate is three times higher. Differences in molecular evolution can be related to different transmission and recombination patterns, as well as to differences in effective population sizes of essential and dispensable chromosomes. In order to identify genes potentially involved in host specialization or speciation, we calculated ratios of synonymous and non-synonymous substitution rates in the >9,500 aligned protein coding genes. The genes are generally under strong purifying selection. We identified 43 candidate genes showing evidence of positive selection, one encoding a potential pathogen effector protein. We conclude that divergence of these pathogens was accompanied by structural rearrangements in the small dispensable chromosomes, while footprints of positive selection were present in only a small number of protein coding genes.     

山东米口袋属植物的核型分析

对山东米口袋属 ( Gueldenstaedtia Fisch.)植物进行了核型分析。米口袋 ( G.multiflora Bge.)核型公式 K( 2 n) =2 x=14 =14 m ,相对长度组成 2 n=14 =6 M2 +8M1,“1A”类型 ;狭叶米口袋 ( G.stenophylla Bge.)核型公式 K( 2 n) =2 x=14 =14 m,相对长度组成 2 n=14 =8M2 +6 M1,“1A”类型 ;光滑米口袋 ( G.maritimaMaxim.)核型公式 K( 2 n) =2 x=14 =12 m+2 sm,相对长度组成 2 n=14 =4 M2 +10 M1,“1A”类型。     

Structural rearrangement in chromosome 2M of Aegilops comosa has prevented the utilization of the Compair and related wheat-Ae. comosa translocations in wheat improvement

The genetic constitutions of chromosome 2M of Aegilops comosa and the derived wheat-Ae. comosa translocations were analyzed by molecular cytogenetic techniques. Hybridization of 15 RFLP markers covering the entire length of the group-2 chromosomes revealed that chromosome 2M was structurally rearranged compared to the homoeologous chromosomes of wheat by either a pericentric inversion or a terminal intrachromosomal translocation. The breakpoint of the rearrangement was located in a region between the loci Xpsr131 and Xcdo405, resulting in the translocation of 47% of 2MS to 2ML. This aberrant structure of 2M allowed homoeologous recombination between 2M and its wheat counterpart only in the translocated segment on 2ML. C-banding and genomic in situ hybridization analyses confirmed that all translocation chromosomes consisted of the complete 2MS arm, a large part of 2ML, and very small distal segments derived from 2AS or 2DS, as expected from the aberrant structure of chromosome 2M. Thus, the translocation in the line 2A-2M?4/2 can be described as T2AS-2M?1L???2M?1S and the translocations in the lines Compair and 2D-2M?3/8 as T2DS-2M?1L???2M?1S. RFLP analysis determined the breakpoints in these translocation chromosomes to be within the telomeric 16% of the wheat chromosome arms. The breakpoint of the 2A/2M translocation was between Xbcd348 and Xcdo783, and that of the 2D/2M translocation was between Xcdo783 and Xpsr666. Because the translocation chromosomes retain the structural aberration found in chromosome 2M, further exploitation of the wheat-Ae. comosa translocations for cultivar improvement is questionable.     

Chromosome evolution in the genus Mikania (Compositae)

Karyotypic analysis of ten species of the genus Mikania was carried out using Feulgen staining. Species belonging to the following sections were analyzed: Section Thyrsigerae containing M. additicia (2n = 34), M. hemisphaerica, M. lanuginosa, and M. punctata (2n = 36), and Mikania sericea (2n = 42), which adds a new basic chromosome number (x = 21) to the genus and to the tribe Eupatorieae; Section Corymbosae with M. hastato-cordata (2n = 34) and M. involucrata and M. microptera with 2n = 36 chromosomes; Section Spicato-Racemosae with M. sessilifolia, with 2n = 108 chromosomes. One unidentified species with 2n = 34 chromosomes was also analyzed. All the species studied show one large pair of chromosomes with a secondary constriction in the middle region of the long arm. The morphology of this chromosome suggests that it can be considered as a cytological marker for the genus. Because of the distinctive inflorescence types found in the genus Mikania and the high frequency of species with x = 18, a correlation between morphological and chromosomal evolution is discussed. The present study suggests that the basic original chromosome number for the genus is x = 18, from which the others (x = 17, 19, 20, 21) have been derived by aneuploidy to form the observed aneuploid series.     

Karyotype of the Snow Sculpin <Emphasis Type="Italic">Myoxocephalus brandti</Emphasis> Steindachner (Cottidae) from Peter the Great Bay,Sea of Japan

The karyotype of the snow sculpin Myoxocephalus brandti, 2n = 44, NF = 46, from Peter the Great Bay was studied. Two-armed chromosomes were presented by one pair of metacentric chromosomes of medium size; one-armed chromosomes included two pairs of large subtelocentric chromosomes and a pair of large acrocentric chromosomes. Ag-NOR-staining in the telomere vicinity revealed nucleolus-organizing regions in one metacentric chromosome and in one medium size acrocentric chromosome in one of the fishes, in two homological small acrocentric chromosomes in three fishes, and in one acrocentric chromosome of average size in six fishes. No difference between the male and female karyotypes and any type of variability was revealed. The karyotypes of the snow sculpin M. brandti and the frog sculpin M. stelleri were compared. Their distinctions and similarities were displayed.Original Russian Text Copyright ¢ 2005 by Biologiya Morya, Ryazanova.     

Variation in the distribution of silver-staining nucleolar organizer regions on the chromosomes of the wild mouse, Mus musculus.

A silver staining method was used to analyze the distribution of nucleolar organizer regions (Ag-NORs) on chromosomes of 45 wild mice (Mus musculus). The four subspecies represented were M. m. musculus, M. m. molossinus, M. m. castaneus, and M. m. bactrianus. Ag-NORs were observed near the centromeric regions of 11 chromosomes (4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19), indicating a preponderance of Ag-NORs on smaller chromosomes. The first five loci have not been observed previously. It is suggested that a correlation may exist between the specific features of mouse Ag-NORs and the events involved in intra- and interchromosomal homogenization of rDNA.